The Founder & CMO at CROSSNET shares his thoughts on inventing a new sport, embracing alternative marketing channels, maximizing your product packaging, and strategies for landing marquee retail accounts. For our eleventh (and 2022 season debut) episode of Reformers: The gritty details behind the world’s greatest bootstrap successes, we are…

The Founder & CEO at Create Music Group (CMG) shares his thoughts on avoiding risk aversion, why passion trumps experience, what he thinks about the NFT craze, and how a very nonlinear path led him to founding one of the fastest-growing businesses in the country (#2 on the 2020 Inc…

The Founder & CEO at Visionary Music Group shares his thoughts on identifying and developing premier talent, driving competitiveness through gamification, and bartering as a means to bootstrapping. For our ninth episode of Reformers: The gritty details behind the world’s greatest bootstrap successes, we are excited to share our interview…

The Co-founder & COO at Article shares his thoughts on getting your foot in the door, questioning industry norms, seeking win-win outcomes in negotiations, and navigating the global supply chain during the pandemic. For our eighth episode of Reformers: The gritty details behind the world’s greatest bootstrap successes, we are…

The founder & CEO at SwagUp shares his thoughts on optimizing your Cash Conversion Cycle, tracking efficiency metrics, and the need for founders to adapt their roles and responsibilities over time. For our seventh episode of Reformers: The gritty details behind the world’s greatest bootstrap successes, we are excited to…

The Co-Founder of Gravity Blanket (acquired by Win Brands Group) and Futurism (acquired by Singularity University) shares his thoughts on owned media as a competitive advantage, transitioning from DTC to omni-channel, and what founders should know about the M&A process For our sixth episode of Reformers: The gritty details behind…

The founder and former CEO at Student Brands (acquired by Barnes & Noble Education for $58.5M) shares his thoughts on the power of pivoting business models, M&A as an underrated growth tactic for startups, and why bootstrapped companies shouldn’t stray away from recruiters (despite the hefty bills) For our fifth…

The former Spanx CEO shares her thoughts on the power of a hero product, the qualities to look for in a board member, and the non-negotiable capabilities every job candidate must possess — For our fourth episode of Reformers: The gritty details behind the world’s greatest bootstrap successes, we are incredibly excited to share our interview with Laurie Ann Goldman, the Former CEO at Spanx (and former CEO at Avon). Laurie Ann joined Spanx as CEO in 2002 when the company was just…

My (long overdue) takeaways from books I’ve read and recommend, short(-ish) and sweet. (For past recommendations and takeaways, check out Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV) The Fountainhead: There are people who live their entire lives based on what others will think. In fact, there are far…